Below is my column in the Hill on the “wanderlust” of former CIA Director John Brennan and how it might be coming to an end with new disclosures on his role in the origins of the Russian collusion investigation. It is a tragic, almost Shakespearean ending, for a once idealistic kid who joined the CIA to experience the world. However, it is a story all-too-familiar for this city.
Here is the column:
In 1980, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin saw an ad for the Central Intelligence Agency on a bus. John Brennan decided to apply, thinking that such a job would satisfy his “wanderlust.”
This month, the “wanderlust” of John Brennan seems to be coming to an end, as the former CIA director stands accused of false testimony regarding the Russian collusion investigation.
Ironically, Brennan was first selected for his honesty — at least in part. During his entry polygraph, Brennan admitted that he had voted for the communist party candidate for president in 1976. He was impressed that the agency took him anyway.
That honest young man seems like a faint and tragic echo of the man today. When Obama picked Brennan to be the CIA director, he had become the ultimate Democratic insider and loyalist. And it would be choosing loyalty over honesty that would prove Brennan’s undoing.
Newly declassified information contradicts Brennan’s testimony before Congress on the origins of the now-debunked Russian collusion conspiracy theory. There is a particular focus on the intelligence community assessment commissioned by President Barack Obama in December 2016, which suggested that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Donald Trump.
Obama ordered the assessment after a prior assessment found no evidence of collusion or influence on the election in Trump’s favor. But Obama’s White House effectively quashed that finding from seasoned CIA analysts. To create a new version, Brennan handpicked new analysts, who effectively flipped the earlier finding on its head without any credible basis in the record.
The new assessment relied, to a significant degree, on the Steele dossier, a widely discredited report paid for by Hillary Clinton’s campaign that contained unfounded allegations about Trump.
In testimony on May 23, 2017, Brennan claimed that the Steele dossier “wasn’t part of the corpus of intelligence information that we had. It was not in any way used as a basis for the Intelligence Community Assessment that was done.” In short, Brennan dismissed any reliance on the dossier.
Yet in the material now declassified, Brennan is shown not just discussing the dossier but insisting upon its inclusion in the new assessment Obama had requested. Indeed, he expressly overruled the CIA’s two most senior Russia experts, who said it “did not meet even the most basic tradecraft standards.”
Analysts were appalled by the use of the Steele dossier and complained that it “ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” One CIA analyst told investigators that “[Brennan] refused to remove it, and when confronted with the dossier’s main flaws, [Brennan] responded, ‘Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?’”Brennan expressly ordered its inclusion in the assessment. It would appear not just in an annex but in the main body of the assessment.
The timeline here is important. In July 2016, Brennan briefed former President Obama on Hillary Clinton’s “plan” to tie then-candidate Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.” The original Russia investigation — funded by Clinton’s campaign — was launched days after this briefing. The resulting Steele Dossier’s funding was hidden as a legal expense by the Clinton campaign’s general counsel, Marc Elias.
So Brennan and the Obama Administration knew in advance about the planned political hit job. Yet, only months later, Brennan would intervene to force the dossier’s inclusion in version 2.0 of the intelligence assessment. Unnamed officials then leaked false information to the media about non-existent intelligence implicating Trump.
Keep in mind that Obama’s ordering of the new assessment was occurring at the very end of his term. There was a rush to complete the report before Trump took office after defeating Hillary Clinton. The effort seeded the Russian collusion hoax that would consume much of Trump’s first term.
In other words, it worked. However, it required the involvement of John Brennan, as well as then-FBI Director James Comey.
As time went on, Brennan continued to deny prior knowledge of the dossier. He would later become a paid contributor for MSNBC and, in 2018, insisted that he first heard “just snippets about” the dossier in the “late summer of 2016.”
As an MSNBC regular, Brennan accused Trump of “treason,” to the delight of the network hosts and viewers. (He later tried to insist that, when he called Trump’s actions “nothing short of treasonous,” he did not actually mean that Trump had “committed treason.”)
Whatever professional integrity Brennan had left after that, he set it aside in joining more than 50 former intelligence officials in signing a now-infamous letter dismissing the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 presidential election as likely “Russian disinformation.”
Joining him on the letter was former Obama Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who says that he has now “lawyered up” in anticipation of potential criminal allegations. The laptop, of course, was later found to be authentic and incriminating for Hunter Biden.
Back in 2016 and in the years that followed, this must have seemed to Brennan like just another CIA operation with “plausible deniability.” After all, he knew that he had the Biden administration and the media watching his back. Of course, the public would ultimately reject these hit jobs, not only reelecting Trump but also giving Republicans full control of Congress.
Brennan may be protected from perjury charges by the five-year statute of limitations. However, he is likely to be called again before Congress and asked the same questions. Even if he is not criminally charged, his past statements will remain an indictment of his role in history.
What is now clear is that high-level officials dismissed intelligence and evidence in order to create and spread the Russian collusion conspiracy as widely as they could. Their politicization of intelligence was raw and wrong. It succeeded only because it was an “all-hands-on-deck” effort, from the Obama White House to the CIA, the FBI, and the media.
The rise and fall of John Brennan has the makings of an all-too-familiar Beltway tragedy. People do not lose their idealism in this city in grand moments of corruption. It starts with small lies that steadily reduce your resistance until the biggest lies become happenstance. It can create a type of self-deception as one treats lies as a moral option for the sake of the greater good.
In “A Man for All Seasons,” Sir Thomas More is asked by his loving daughter Meg to sign a false affidavit to save his own life. More tells her, “When a man takes an oath, he’s holding his own self in his own hands like water, and if he opens his fingers then, he needn’t hope to find himself again.”
In Washington, power tends to loosen fingers over time, and the truth drips out to the point that little recognizable remains. That is the true tragedy.
For Brennan, what began as a young man’s wanderlust ended in a quagmire of contradictions and deceit.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
OT As we debate the criminals who once ran the CIA and FBI, five more Americans are dead, shot in cold blood in Manhattan. The shooter is dead too. There may be more. And what do Democrats offer? Fewer cops. More social workers.
This is how great nations die, not from weakness, but from deliberate decay. Ours was built on unmatched ideas of freedom. No nation was ever greater. And none will fall harder if we keep choosing decline
As for Epstein. I bet people will have a real laugh when they discover that Epstein believed that Trump was the one who alerted the authorities about him in 2004 before banning him from all of his properties in 2005
Forgive me for this lengthy comment but I really believe it is worthwhile to read:
Treason itself is defined in the Constitution. None of the actions taken by Obama and his intelligence agencies rise to that level.
Seditious conspiracy would be the next possible charge but it requires the use of force and there was none.
So you are looking at possible charges of conspiracy where a plan is developed, based on knowingly false information, to interfere with the workings of the Federal government by loud and ongoing claims that the President of the United States knowingly worked with the Russian government to alter the outcome of the 2016 election.
The five year statute of limitations starts clicking when the last provable actions of the conspiracy have taken place.
Some would say the raid of MaraLago, about 2 yrs ago. Others might say the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler PA .
It is possible that perjury charges may still be open as part of the conspiracy. Anyone who spread stories claiming that Mr Trump was an illegitimate president due to colluding with Russians may be considered a co-conspirator.
We will see charges of conspiracy and perjury. My guess would be Brennan, Clapper, Comey and Rice. . at least. The venue will be Florida based on the raid of President Trump’s home as another action in this year long conspiracy
Personal opinion: yes there was a conspiracy to create an atmosphere around Donald Trump that would make it impossible to carry out the will of the people who elected him. This conspiracy managed to take him through two impeachments and then began four years of lawfare to make sure this man would never be re-elected to the Presidency again. This conspiracy involved weaponizing the FBI against him and encouraged him to be tried for things no one he’d ever been tried for before . He was convicted of 34 felonies of falsifying business records to cover up a crime that he was never charged with or convicted of. (Make sense of that.)
More conspirators joined in by ensuring we had an election that ended up being filled with statistical impossibilities and led to the need to create an emergency on Jan 6 when the electoral votes were being counted.
If Congress needed to adjourn because of an emergency, when it reconvened in “emergency session” no motions could be entertained to do anything but straight up or down votes.
If the people at the Capitol that day could not be stirred up to look like a violent mob ( remember, an emergency was needed), they had their bombs ready to go at RNC and DNC headquarters. There WAS going to be an emergency no matter what.
The conspiracy grew even more interesting when Mr Biden threw open the southern borders and allowed upwards of 20,000,000 people to enter our country illegally when he could have stopped it just by snapping his finger. And the conspiracy isn’t that he needs them to vote. They are needed to settle in places to be counted to affect the 2030 Congressional reapportionment, moving more electoral votes from red states to blue states. The Constitution requires all “persons” to be counted. It doesn’t care if they vote or not . Any cabinet members, lackeys and staff are now part of the conspiracy.
And the hate and charges of racism, Nazi, leveled at Trump and his family, etc caused other people to join the conspiracy and attempt to kill him.
Hell, you could even go further and suggest that these mayors of these big cities are part of the same continuing conspiracy to destroy the President of the executive branch and to thwart the will of the people by their statements regarding ICE.
At the very least though, it would be prudent to stop throwing the word “treason” around.
As for immunity for Obama and Biden? (Yes, Biden was at that December meeting also.)
Somehow I find it hard to believe that heading up a treacherous conspiracy to convince Americans that the man they elected was a Manchurian president and pawn of Russia, a conspiracy which would lead to two failed impeachments and effectively tie up a Presidents hands as he was trying to enact an agenda that the American voters elected him to enact, could be considered something done by Obama within the scope of his executive authority.
Thanks for reading if you managed to get through it all.
Opinion only bill.
Always remember what news channel sends him a check each month! Opinions matter but paid by Fox ??
BTW: the Gigi stuff today is absolutely hilarious.
Gigi boldly asserts that”…Russia did engage in a comprehensive campaign to interfere in the [2016] presidential election….”
….and they did, on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run, as they had strong ties with her, and were better positioned to help her win—after she arranged the sale of Uranium One (20% of US Uranium), which resulted in excess of 145-Million in Russian shareholder donations to the Clinton Foundation (see Becker and McIntire, New York Times, 2015). https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html
I wonder what Gigi thinks of the 2015 Uranium One deal and its uncanny proximity to Hillary’s 2016 run.
And now serial liar George is busy white knighting for Gigi. It’s just pathetic, but that’s our Georgie. If he’s not lying than he’s probably being creepy instead.
“OBAMA’S TREASONOUS CONSPIRACY OF FOREIGN ALLEGIANCES”
NATURAL BORN CITIZEN
Barack Hussein Obama was prohibited by John Jay, George Washington, the Framers, and the Constitution from becoming the president due to his foreign allegiances, which were bestowed by his socialist-cum-communist, anti-Colonialist, anti-American, anti-British, African-citizen father, author of his 1965 article “Problems Facing Our Socialism” referenced below. Jay and Washington were in complete agreement that “the Command in chief of the american army shall not be given to, nor devolved on, any but a natural born Citizen.” In The Law of Nations, Vattel’s definition of “natural born citizen” required parents (i.e. plural) and/or a father who were citizens.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
John Jay to George Washington, 25 July 1787
From John Jay
New York 25 July 1787
Dear Sir
I was this morning honored with your Excellency’s Favor of the 22d Inst: & immediately delivered the Letter it enclosed to Commodore Jones, who being detained by Business, did not go in the french Packet, which sailed Yesterday.
Permit me to hint, whether it would not be wise & seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the american army shall not be given to, nor devolved on, any but a natural born Citizen.
Mrs Jay is obliged by your attention, and assures You of her perfect Esteem & Regard—with similar Sentiments the most cordial and sincere I remain Dear Sir Your faithful Friend & Servt
John Jay
___________
Law of Nations
Book 1, Chpt 19
§ 212. Citizens and natives.
The citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. The society is supposed to desire this, in consequence of what it owes to its own preservation; and it is presumed, as matter of course, that each citizen, on entering into society, reserves to his children the right of becoming members of it. The country of the fathers is therefore that of the children; and these become true citizens merely by their tacit consent. We shall soon see whether, on their coming to the years of discretion, they may renounce their right, and what they owe to the society in which they were born. I say, that, in order to be of the country, it is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; for, if he is born there of a foreigner, it will be only the place of his birth, and not his country.
__________________________________
AI Overview
Barack Obama Sr., in his 1965 article “Problems Facing Our Socialism”, critiqued the Kenyan government’s approach to “African Socialism” outlined in Sessional Paper No. 10
. His main arguments and concerns included:
Lack of Clear Definition: Obama Sr. questioned the meaning of “African Socialism” and whether it was truly distinct from other socialist models or merely a vague political slogan.
Overemphasis on Economic Growth Without Addressing Inequality: He argued that despite Kenya’s economic growth, the government’s policies were not effectively addressing the issues of poverty, unemployment, and unequal income distribution, particularly the concentration of economic power in the hands of foreign (European and Asian) groups.
Concerns about “Gratuitous Privatization”: Obama Sr. warned about the potential negative consequences of unregulated privatization of productive resources and public goods.
Uneven Regional Development: He also highlighted the problem of uneven development across different regions of Kenya.
Ineffectiveness of Attempts to Lure People Back to Rural Areas: He recognized the futility of government attempts to encourage people to return to rural areas when they couldn’t make a living from the land they possessed.
In essence, Obama Sr.’s critique called for a more nuanced and effective approach to development that prioritized social justice and addressed the deep-seated inequalities that persisted in Kenya after independence. His arguments were considered quite perceptive and ahead of their time, anticipating many of the challenges that Kenya would face in the years to come.
John Brennan and James Clapper, two decrepit old men played well by the stooge master!
Quite laughable the flailing attempts to refute Obama’s treason. His politicization of federal agencies started early, have we all forgotten Lois Lerner? This is what treacherous subversive behavior looks like. I pray the DOJ expedites the prosecution of all involved and exercises punishment when found guilty to the fullest extent of the law.
The fact that a civil servant was allowed to take the fifth, and walk away scot free, enabled so much of the rest of these crimes.
The difficulty will be getting convictions from a DC jury. If these subversive acts had been designed to help Republicans, that would not be an issue. But they were intended to help Dems. Even on the off chance the DOJ draws a fair and impartial judge – which itself is unlikely in DC – the jury will likely engage in nullification.
Baloney. The jury system is highly dependable to flush out the facts, and dole out justice. It happens thousands of times every day. You only hear about the extremely rare cases where the jury gets it wrong (e.g. OJ).
To denigrate the jury system by the city where its located?….you’re watching too much opinion TV-blogs.
May be if you’d served on a jury, you’d vote politically in defiance of the facts. But most Americans won’t. And I bet you wouldn’t either!
I’m sure we can all count on Manhattan juries to vote without political bias. Cough.
And DC is even worse, what is it, 95% Democrat? Give it a rest, we know how the game is played.
The history of DC juries in political cases is pretty bad. No wonder members of the Democratic party believe they can get away with anything in D.C.
“To denigrate the jury system by the city where its located?….you’re watching too much opinion TV-blogs. ”
So, you are contending that the fact that certain areas of the country support and vote for Democrats almost exclusively, regardless of how loony or dishonest they are, strictly as a result of the relentless brainwashing residents of those areas have received, would have zero crossover to the biases of jury members? What is the weather like in Candy Land today?
You’ve been watching too much Matlock if you’d trust a DC jury to not be politically biased.
The conspiracy venue will be pursued in Florida.
Why do you believe the conspiracy venue will be pursued in Florida? I am not saying it will or won’t. I’m looking for a broad view of perspectives.
The Mar-a-Lago raid. It was part of the coverup attempt. They knew that Trump had or claimed to have Crossfire Hurricane docs there.
“The difficulty will be getting convictions from a DC jury.”
Is it absolutely necessary to try crimes against the entire electorate in DC because some actions of the conspiracy occurred there? Couldn’t it be argued that the conspiring occurred in many places through many venues (including common carrier communications) in order to justify an alternative venue?
*. Right, all sewn up.
Total rubbish. Studies of DC and NYC juries prove the median IQ of DC juries is 76 and the median IQ of NYC juries is only slightly better at 79. They’ve attempted to obtain the IQs of the judges in DC and NYCm but they have refused to cooperate. However, all of them did state–of the record–that in criminal cases, they are inclined to try to find a way for a Democrat criminal to get off. As for Republican criminals, they said there haven’t been enough of them appearing their courts to draw any conclusions.
@madman
No, we haven’t. I voted for Obama the first time, and it did not take long to realize I had made a huge mistake. Thank you for bringing that into the light, because that is where it needs to be. The Obama years will be remembered as the time we very nearly lost our country. They did such a masterful job in their malfeasance, it’s going to take some time to bring it back.
Madman Mamdani
The co-conspirators are:
Kevin Clinesmith, Bill Taylor, Eric Ciaramella, Rosenstein, Mueller/Team, Andrew Weissmann,
James Comey, Christopher Wray, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Laycock, Kadzic, Sally Yates,
James Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Priestap, Kortan, Campbell, Sir Richard Dearlove,
Christopher Steele, Simpson, Joseph Mifsud, Alexander Downer, Stefan “The Walrus” Halper,
Azra Turk, Kerry, Hillary, Huma, Mills, Brennan, Gina Haspel, Clapper, LERNER, Farkas, Power,
Lynch, Rice, Jarrett, Holder, Brazile, Sessions (patsy), Nadler, Schiff, Pelosi, Obama,
Joe Biden, James E. Boasberg, Emmet Sullivan, Gen. Milley, George Soros, John McCain,
Marc Elias, Igor Danchenko, Fiona Hill, Charles H. Dolan, Jake Sullivan, Strobe Talbot,
Cody Shear, Victoria Nuland, Ray “Red Hat” Epps, Don Berlin, Kathy Ruemmler, Rodney Joffe,
Paul Vixie, L. Jean Camp, Andrew Whitney, Lisa O. Monaco, Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg,
Matthew Colangelo, Merrick Garland, Juan Merchan, Timothy Thibault et al.
You forgot Cass Sunstein and his wife Samantha Powers…
The fact that the CIA hired Brennan is pretty good evidence that James Jesus Angleton was correct about the infiltration of the agency.
Below I capitalized a portion of Professor Turley’s article and an interesting statement, not that a mysterious government official leaked but that a portion of the public would easily swallow, hook, line, and sinker a lie about President Trump. Goebbels was on to something “tell a lie long enough, it becomes the truth” isn’t that what President Biden said “We take truth over fact” or something like that.
So Brennan and the Obama Administration knew in advance about the planned political hit job. Yet, only months later, Brennan would intervene to force the dossier’s inclusion in version 2.0 of the intelligence assessment. UNNMANED OFFICIALS THEN LEAKED FALSE INFORMATION TO THE MEDIA ABOUT NON-EXISTENT INTELLIGENCE IMPLICATING TRUMP.
Aesop Fable “The Bee and Jupiter”
A Bee from Mount Hymettus, the queen of the hive, ascended to Olympus to present Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter, delighted with the offering of honey, promised to give whatever she should ask. She therefore besought him, saying “Give me, I pray thee, a sting that if any mortal shall approach to take my honey, I may kill him,” Jupiter was much displeased, for he loved the race of man, but could not refuse the request because of his promise. He thus answered the Bee: “You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of your own life. For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound you make, and then you will die from the loss of it.”
It is becoming hilarious that the purveyors of one lie after another are now being ridiculed for their inept attempt to cover up their lies. “We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction”, from where this saying comes, I know not!
George W
George W,
Thank you for making that distinction.
Upstate,
These toxic fools (democrats) and all their lies about almost everything are the most dangerous assault to the continuation of America as we know it.
George W
George W,
I am of the opinion our Republic is not the continuation they want. They want complete and total control of not only the government but of the people.
Since we’re on the topic of CIA, I have 2 questions:
1) Is it actually illegal (prosecutable) for CIA personnel to be covertly engaged in domestic politics? Or, is it a matter of the “honor system”? Do FBI and U.S. attorneys have any real investigative power to crack the wall of CIA covert ops?
2) When FBI/CIA agents receive training is PsyOps at Quantico/Langley, do they have to sign a pledge to never use the training received to attempt to shape domestic public opinion? Even after quitting/retiring?
It seems that specialized training (how to plant false narratives with “legs”) should never be given without demanding that pledge.
“Or, is it a matter of the “honor system”?”
The entire government is comprised of employees who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, and thanks to the doctrine of qualified immunity, that swearing appears to very much be subject to nothing but the “honor system”, with remunerative rewards very much favoring violation of that oath, since it can be done with utter impunity.
Brennan is said to have converted to Islam while stationed in Saudi Arabia. Muslims are encouraged to lie in order to advance Islam. Why Obama appointed a Muslim Communist to head the CIA is the question that must be answered.
“Why Obama appointed a Muslim Communist to head the CIA is the question that must be answered.”
Well, it’s not exactly a mystery, now is it. Birds of a feather, and all that.
Yes, and there’s also the fact that both of them are IslamoCommuNazi depraved degenerates.
Today, the professor’s dicsussion of Brennan, catalogues what he regards as some of the most significant unfounded accusations made against President Trump by various media outlets. One of the central disputes he highlights, the prospects for a US‑EU trade agreement, now appears largely settled by the deal announced yesterday, which involves a trading bloc representing roughly 44 % of the world’s economy. Many commentators had insisted such an agreement was unattainable; its conclusion calls those predictions into question.
Does anyone think this momentous agreement will change the minds of those who previously lied about Trump?
S. Meyer,
Oh, Trump is making deals. Our leftist friends rant and rave about how Trump supposedly lied, yet when he makes deals, when the price of food is coming down, the price of gas is coming down (In town, one gas station is at $2.99/gal, first time since the first Trump admin!), we do not hear a peep from them. Two women appeared before Congress, their daughters killed by illegals, some hack Democrat Congressman tried to get them to say something about immigrants. The one woman shot back that they were illegal immigrants and made him look like a fool.
S. Meyer and Upstate,
This is what the corrosive affect of the lie produces after being allowed to work it’s way through our nation’s consciousness for 10 years. The harm is not any different than having a termite inspector tell you those termites I told you about 10 years ago really were there. Tenting the house now won’t fix the damage. The question is what will we do differently so that it won’t happen again?
OLLY,
One would think such revelations would prompt lawmakers to come together, condemn these actions and those who did the wrong doing, pass a law to make sure nothing like this happens again.
But as we are seeing, Democrats will not even acknowledge it. I imagine even with overwhelming evidence, whistleblowers Congressional testimony, Democrats will continue to claim there is nothing there with a compliant MSM to back Democrat claims or try to ignore reality. All the more reason there needs to be an investigation.
One thing that we can do is as the evidence comes out, we need to repeat it to all our friends and family to make sure they see the level of corruption, the collusion, the attempts to undermine not only the first Trump admin but the will of the American people. Come election time, remind them of what the Democrat party attempted. Of course there will be the far left wing zealots who will vote Democrat no matter what. But if we can show those moderate Democrats how far their party has fallen, how corrupt they are, they might change their vote or not vote at all. In that case, we can not only win the WH for Vance but keep both the House and the Senate. Eight years of Vance, eight years of Gabbard, the Democrat party just might come around.
Olly, that is why the reversal of the leftist policies and ideas will take so long to rectify. We need to start in the schools at grade 1. The young socialists need to see what left gave them, but that will take a long time. Older citizens are leaving the scene. Hispanics are moving toward the right.
Here’s a peep–the price for food is NOT coming down, and Trump has lied about the retail price for gasoline. From “ABC News”:
“President Donald Trump on Friday claimed grocery and gas prices are falling, an assertion he’s made repeatedly since taking office.
In a post on social media, Trump touted the price levels alongside job growth and tax revenue in a list of gains delivered by his tariff policy.
“We’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting started!!!” Trump said.
The claim of a reduction in prices for those essential goods, however, is potentially misleading, economists told ABC News. Since Trump took office, price hikes for food have accelerated and gas prices have stood essentially flat, federal government data shows.
To be sure, overall inflation has eased slightly during Trump’s tenure. In January, the year-over-year inflation rate stood at 3%; as of March, the most recent month on record, that rate registered at 2.4%, government data showed. That figure comes in well below a peak attained in 2022.
Even a relatively low level of inflation indicates an increase in price levels, however, since inflation measures the pace of change in prices, David Bieri, an economist at Virginia Tech University, told ABC News.
“Prices are still going up – they’re just not going up as rapidly,” Bieri told ABC News.
Grocery prices
On April 24, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office: “Groceries are down.” Trump repeated the claim on social media on Friday, saying, “Groceries (and eggs!) down.”
Grocery prices, which make up a significant share of household budgets, are measured in government price data under the category of “food at home,” which sets such items apart from those purchased at restaurants or other dine-out venues.
In January, food at home prices increased 1.9% compared to a year earlier. As of March, the year-over-year inflation rate for such products had accelerated to 2.4%, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed.
When asked about Trump’s claim that food prices are falling, Tucker Balch, a finance professor at Emory University, said: “I’m not aware of any data that supports that.”
Egg prices — another cost highlighted by Trump — have climbed over the early months of Trump’s term. In March, egg prices soared 60% higher than a year prior, BLS data showed.
Bird flu has continued to decimate the egg supply, lifting prices, researchers at the University of Tennessee and Mississippi State University found in February.
By contrast, wholesale egg prices — the amount grocers pay to suppliers — have dropped significantly since Trump took office, food economists previously told ABC News. It remains unclear when and to what extent that decline in wholesale egg prices will translate into relief for consumers, they said.
While food prices are rising overall, costs for some food items are dropping. Staples like rice, pasta, potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes registered lower prices in March than they had a year prior, BLS data showed.
“You can always find particular food prices that are falling,” Carola Binder, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies inflation, told ABC News. “There are probably some people out there whose basket of prices is falling because of what they’re buying.”
Gas prices
Trump claimed last month that gasoline prices had fallen as low as $1.98 in a couple of states. On Friday, Trump voiced a similar assertion on social media, saying, “Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years.”
The nationwide average price of a gallon of gasoline stands at $3.18, AAA data shows. No state boasts an average price close to $1.98, the data shows.
In Mississippi, the state with the lowest average price, a gallon of gas costs $2.66, AAA says.
Even more, government data shows average gas prices are little changed since Trump took office.
Over the week ending on Jan. 20, the national average price of a gallon of gas stood at $3.10, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA. As of the week ending on April 28, the most recent on record, the average price landed at $3.13, EIA says.
“That puts gas prices right around where they were when Trump took office,” Binder said.
By contrast, oil prices have plummeted about 25% since Trump took office. In theory, the decline in the price of oil should eventually push down the price of gasoline, since oil makes up the key input in the refined product that ends up in vehicles, Binder said.
The drop in oil prices is not necessarily a positive indicator, they added. Falling oil prices often suggest expectations of an economic slowdown that would diminish energy demand.
Balch, of Emory University, said the decline in oil prices resulted from expectations of a slowdown in global trade in the aftermath of Trump’s tariffs.
“It’s a measure of the expected use of energy in our economy,” Balch said. “It is because of Trump’s policies but it’s not an endorsement of his policies.”
Wrong. Again, Gigi.
ABC news is not a credible source.
Stop calling me “Gigi”. The ABC piece quoted MULTIPLE reliable sources–an economist at Virginia Tech, a finance professor at Emory University and an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The point is: Trump LIED, again. Grocery prices are NOT down. Gas is NOT $1.98 a gallon anywhere in the US. AND you have cited NO source whatsoever to support your claims about Trump’s alleged accomplishments in bringing down prices. This is exactly what MAGA media does–makes all sorts of wild, unsubstantiated claims, or gets paid stooges to make wild, unsubstantiated claims.
Nobody cares what you think, GIGI. Stop spamming the comments here, GIGI. Your talking points are stale and lame, GIGI.
GO AWAY, GIGI.
I wonder if dolts like GIGI will ever realize that their hyper-partisanship and general insanity are actually driving voters to Trump and the Republicans. Shhhh, nobody tell GIGI.
Ah, thank you Gigi for being so predictable. Once again, I laid out my trap for you and you took the bait.
Per the Department of Labor, the index for fresh eggs fell 19.8 percent compared with the previous month. Prices fell by 21.3 percent in March and 39.3 percent in April. In May, they inched up 1.4 percent.
Because of the extreme price increases that mostly occured during the Biden administration, egg prices are still up year-over-year, Wednesday’s producer price index report showed.
Since February, the price of eggs has fallen by 61.2 percent. By contrast, in the final months of Joe Biden’s presidency, the price of eggs rose by 227.1 percent.
Did you read that Gigi? The Department of Labor! Not MAGA media. The Department of Labor!
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
I hear goalposts being moved as we speak.
Stop calling me “Gigi”. Did you read the piece I cited? It said that due to bird flu situation improving, the wholesale cost of eggs went down: “By contrast, wholesale egg prices — the amount grocers pay to suppliers — have dropped significantly since Trump took office, food economists previously told ABC News. It remains unclear when and to what extent that decline in wholesale egg prices will translate into relief for consumers, they said.” So, grocers are not passing along the lower prices for eggs–yet.
The price of eggs under Biden went up because they had to kill millions of birds to control the bird flu, for which there is no treatment, and which is fatal and can be passed on to humans. How on earth can you blame Biden for the bird flu, or credit Trump when it improved? What about the lies about the other prices for groceries and the lie about $1.99 gas? And you claimed that the “price of food” was going down–that’s not true, either, and you did get that from MAGA media.
Hahahahaha, you’re doing some great tap dancing there GIGI. Don’t forget your hat and cane, dance GIGI dance!!!
Upstatefarmer, actually you’re wrong.
“ The index for food increased 0.3 percent in June, as it did in May. The food at home index also rose 0.3 percent
over the month. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in June, while the other three
declined. The index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 1.4 percent in June, as the index for coffee increased 2.2
percent. The fruits and vegetables index rose 0.9 percent over the month, as the citrus fruits index increased
2.3 percent. The index for other food at home increased 0.2 percent in June.”
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
“ Food prices rose at about the same rate as overall inflation. The CPI for all food increased 0.3 percent from May 2025 to June 2025. Food prices in June 2025 were 3.0 percent higher than in June 2024.”
“ The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI increased 0.2 percent from May 2025 to June 2025 and was 2.4 percent higher than in June 2024.
The food-away-from-home (restaurant and other foodservice purchases) CPI increased 0.4 percent from May 2025 to June 2025 and was 3.8 percent higher than in June 2024.“
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings
The price of eggs fell from the previous high. That’s not lower than it was before the bird flu. Its still high. According to both the BLS which is part of the Department of Labor and the USDA. Grocery prices are higher than last year. The rate of increase has been slowing down but prices are still rising.
George! We’re still waiting on that Maxwell testimony that you apparently lied about. Any time you want to produce it. I didn’t notice a link to it in your crap comment. Chop chop Georgie, and please stop lying.
Look at loser George white knighting. No George, I don’t think even Gigi will lower herself to date you.
“Stop calling me “Gigi”
Stop changing your alias.
Gas prices are coming down and will drop even further. I pay attention to what Trump accomplishes. I don’t listen to the MSM that changes the text, takes things out of context, or repeats meaningless errors because there is nothing else left for them to say.
Trump LIED about gas being $1.99 a gallon. Trump LIED about food prices being lower. Read George’s post above that cites reliable government data. Prices for groceries are higher—not lower, and it’s not OK that the POTUS lies all of the time.
What you DO prove is that not only are you devotees not bothered about Trump’s lies, you will attack anyone who points them out, attack the reliable sources that prove he is a liar and keep arguing about it. All of this bad economic news is before the economy-killing tariffs kick in— which is when things will really go off the rails.
Dance for us GIGI!!! You really are such a loser, I’d feel sorry for you if I cared. Why don’t you ask George out, he’s desperately trying to get your attention.
“Trump LIED about gas being $1.99 a gallon.”
True, false, out of context, mistake, who knows? You and the media lie so much, who cares? The important thing is that gas prices are down. Only an OCD person or one with another psychiatric disease would focus on what was said instead of reality. But also contrary to what you say, food prices are down. I sent a graph showing the prices of certain things posted by the DNC to make Trump look bad. Then it was quickly removed when someone observed the very sharp spike under Biden.
These numbers that show Trump in a good light are based on government figures, not a talking head like Jeff Toobin, who can’t keep his hands off of himself, even on camera. I bring him up because he represents the MSM, which is filled with crazies.
Notice the rhetorical trick here. Trump “lies”. Brain-dead Biden and other Democrats “misspeak”, “exaggerate”, “misremember”, but Trump only “lies”.
From “Meidas Touch”:
“At his White House receptions for Republican lawmakers on Tuesday, Donald Trump claimed that gasoline had dropped to $1.99 a gallon in five states, adding that “prices are down, groceries are down, oil is down.” The statement, which quickly went viral, has once again drawn scrutiny for being false.
According to current data from AAA, EIA, and GasBuddy, no U.S. state has an average gas price below $2.00. As of July 22, 2025, the lowest statewide average is in Mississippi at $2.72, with the national average sitting at $3.14. This isn’t the first time Trump has falsely claimed gas prices were under $2.
Related: Trump Falsely Claims Gas Prices Are “$1.95 In Certain States”
His repeated use of the misleading $1.99 figure has been flagged by Twitter’s Community Notes team. Despite the data, Trump continues to push the narrative of economic success under his leadership — even when the price at the pump doesn’t match what he is proclaiming from the podium. ”
Experts say that lower gas prices are a bellwether for a slowing economy–and that IS Trump’s fault. From “Newsweek”:
“Patrick De Haan, from GasBuddy.com, said in a statement: “As concerns over tariffs and policy uncertainties grow, gas prices have continued to decline across much of the country, raising the possibility that the national average could slip below $3 per gallon and approach some of the lowest prices seen in years.”
But he added: “When the economy slows, gasoline demand drops—along with demand for other refined products like diesel and jet fuel. We’ve already seen some signals that the months ahead could be challenging.”
Contrary to your implication that I lied or took Trump’s lie about $1.99 per gallon gas “out of context”–he DID say that gas was $1.99 a gallon in 5 states, and that is a lie. Explain to me the difference between “reality” and “what Trump said”–it is REALITY that he LIED–about gas AND about food prices–see George’s post above, citing government figures.
AND you have just given us a textbook example of MAGA media that endlessly defends Trump and his lies and attacks anyone who proves that he IS a liar.
Oh my god, is it even possible to find a more biased source? You’re such a total clown GIGI. Nobody cares what you think.
Reply to below–SINCE WHEN are Gas Buddy, AAA and EIA “biased”? They are the sources cited in the piece. And WHERE in the US is gas $1.99 a gallon? Name me some of the 5 states. More importantly, WHY do you defend a chronic, habitual liar?
“Contrary to your implication that I lied or took Trump’s lie about $1.99 per gallon gas “out of context”
Why should anyone trust you? You even incorrectly paraphrased my words. Here is what I said, “True, false, out of context, mistake, who knows? You and the media lie so much, who cares? The important thing is that gas prices are down.”
You lie a lot and misquote others frequently, just like you changed the context of what I said above. We can call it a lie because you do not correct your mistakes and refuse to deal with the facts.
You trust the Washington Post, though the Washington Post has been caught lying almost continuously during Trump’s last term.
I don’t know what Trump said for sure, but who cares? Prices are falling even though your OCD prevents you from recognizing the fall. Though it makes little difference what he said but assuming he said it, since he doesn’t fill up his own tank, he might have gotten the price wrong or quoted the futures market. Who cares? We care about what happened. If your children were reported killed by the Washington Post and they were very much alive and in your arms, would you be telling everyone your children were dead?
‘Brevity is the soul of wit’ – Shakespeare
April 28 is the most recent week on record?
It’s almost August where I live.
Michaeldix,
Same here. August is just a few days away for us. Seems Gigi is still living in April.
Let Gigi bloviate. She’s only converting voters into Republicans with her screeds. She’s the kind of leftist moron who scores own goals like this one:
https://twitter.com/yalligatorgar/status/1948515461231956036
Hahahahahah April prices? You dolt, it’s almost August!!!! Hahahahaha what a loser.
Just more proof that GIGI doesn’t even bother reading the crap that she copies and pastes. I love it when she self-refutes.
“I Gotta Own It”: Bill Maher Admits He Was Dead Wrong About Trump Tariffs, ‘Does Not See A Country In Depression’
“I remember I, along with probably most people, were saying at the beginning, ‘Oh, you know, by the 4th of July’ — somebody had a thing – how the economy was going to be tanked by then, But that didn’t happen. Now, it could happen tomorrow. I’m just saying that’s reality.”
“[T]he truth is, I don’t know what his strategy is. But look, the stock market is at record highs. I know not everybody lives by the stock market, but I also drive around,” he added. “I don’t see a country in a depression at all. I see people out there just living their lives. And I would have thought – and I gotta own it – that these tariffs were going to f***ing sink this economy by this time — and they didn’t.”
Someone who sees reality for what it is. And Bill Maher has been calling the likes of you, Gigi, as the stupid and crazy that has infested his party. He wants you out of his party. So do all the sane and normal Democrats.
Upstatefarmer, Maher also admitted he’s a bit ignorant about the tariff situation. Trump keeps backtracking on his threats and as a result the effects of the tariffs have not been showing up. Until and if Trump ever manages to stick to his threats the effects will be minimal. That’s why he’s earned the “TACO” monicker. He’s doesn’t follow through on his tariff threats.
Still no link to the Maxwell testimony. Tsk tsk Georgie you big fat liar.
Oh look everyone now internet sooper genius George is an expert in tariffs. He’s bad at internet searching however, other than his lame copy and paste comments.
Gigi, the Democrat Party put this on their website.
https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-25-at-1.36.52%E2%80%AFPM.png
They had to remove it because they realized it showed the catastrophe of Biden.
You are miserable because the nation is doing great, and Trump is performing miracles.
I just passed a gas station in Grayslake Illinois that was selling regular for $2.83 a gallon. Unfortunately ,I filled up yestersay
GIGI says that you’re a liar. GIGI has out of date stats and by golly she’s sticking by them.
The going price for regular at WAWA here in NJ (the last state forbidding self-serve pumps, so that should be factored into the cost analysis) two days ago when I last filled up was $2.93. That is pretty good, based on recent history.
“Does anyone think this momentous agreement will change the minds of those who previously lied about Trump?”
Not “no”, but “Hell, no”. That would require two attributes they completely lack: rationality and honesty.
You are correct. It will not change the minds of Gigi and the other crazies on the blog, but it will help show others not involved how crazy they are.
Dr. Turley, two questions:
1. Can Obama be prosecuted for his acts in this conspiracy? Based on the SCOTUS decision on Presidential immunity a President has absolute immunity for official acts, and presumptive immunity for acts that are “within the sphere of his official duties”. Can Obama’s directive be considered outside of this sphere and therefore prosecuted?
2. I’ve heard the term “grand conspiracy” floated. What’s the difference been that term and conspiracy? If there’s a legal difference, what advantages does that give the DOJ going forward?
Did SCOTUS say that these Presidential immunities applied retroactively? That’s ex post facto lawmaking.
The SCOTUS interpreted what it claimed was exisiting law–so it applies to Clinton, Obama and Biden. Ex post facto applies when a law is enacted that changes existing law.
My understanding to some of this is that if this is declared legally as the on-going conspiracy it still is by AG Bondi, it would negate any Statute of limitation issues and it would allow for prosecution of Barry Sotero beyond his immunity as it extended beyond his term as President.
The question to me is whether or not illegal actions committed after official immunity ended in the course of a conspiracy to cover up actions taken while official immunity was in force are considered to also be subject to that official immunity. I would hope that those would be considered separate violations that are not so covered, but ianal.
My thoughts:
1. Obama cannot be prosecuted for official acts. Instructing the IC to prepare a new ICA is almost certainly an official act. The SCOTUS decision even appears to preclude introducing evidence of what Obama said to his officials in giving these instructions, so long as he did so in his official capacity. Immunity for the president does not apply to any officials. And Obama could be included in an indictment of officials as an unindicted co-conspirator I suppose.
2. There is no legal meaning to the term grand conspiracy. It is being used to designate a conspiracy of long duration covering many things, including Russia interference/collusion, Ukraine impeachment, Hunter laptop, Mara Lago search, and efforts to conceal any of the foregoing. I believe the statute of limitations for conspiracy runs from the last act pursuant to it. So if there is a conspiracy dating to 2016 and acts to conceal it are being taken in 2022 as Ratcliffe has said, the statute of limitations has not run on the 2016 conspiracy. Even without conspiracy, lying under oath or to Congress or investigators has a five-year statute, so lies in the last few years are still actionable. Ratcliffe has said this could apply at least to Clapper, Brennan and Clinton.
So Daniel, if the conspiracy and cover up continues far beyond the initial act performed while Obama was in office and Obama is part of said subversive conspiracy, he no longer has immunity from prosecution. That’s how I would pursue it, indict him and spend his money fighting it for ten years like they did to Trump and Flynn and so many others. Corruption is a circular world 😝
There is no fall, he will not pay any consequences for his lies and coup attmept. He will only be praised and worhipped by the media for doing his best to use his position and the heavy hand of governemnt to “Get Trump” at all costs.
Looks like Hunter Biden is going full anon today.
How long until the El Salvador invasion?
MOAR Hunter plz, Mr. Podcaster. He should have a standing interview schedule with Hunter, I get the feeling that there’s a lot more awesomeness where that came from.
“Ironically, Brennan was first selected for his honesty — at least in part. During his entry polygraph, Brennan admitted that he had voted for the communist party candidate for president in 1976. He was impressed that the agency took him anyway.”
I have never believed that story. We only have Brennan’s word for it, and he did not make any public statement about it until 2016, long after it no longer mattered to his career, although it may have scored him some points with the occupant of the White House at the time. That entrance polygraph would not only have been for employment but for issuance of his security clearance, and for the CIA it would likely have been a high-level TS of some kind. His supposed “honesty” would not have mattered more than admitting he supported the Communist Party of the USA, a wholly controlled subsidiary of the Soviets, back in 1980 at the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. I had a TS with the military back at the same time and I seriously doubt I would have gotten any clearance if I had made such an admission during the process (by the way, I voted for Ford in the 1976 election). I think Brennan’s 2016 story about this was much more likely self-serving and dishonest, just like so much of the rest of his past actions.
I find the rumor that Brennan converted to Islam while overseas much more believable than this Gus Hall tale.
I do not find it unbelievable that he voted for Gus Hall. I just find it unbelievable that he disclosed it to the CIA in 1980.
*. OT
Madame Maxwell filed with SCOTUS. Must be nothing in her testimony substantial. She’ll avoid the Aug 11, date with the House for testimony because of suit pending perhaps?
*. Massage Parlor Madame, Ghilaine Maxwell, may have set-up Epstein? I’d like to see the porn photos with faces obscured to determine if I’d know she wasn’t 18 and 17.5 years old. Can anyone guess ages within 6 months accuracy?
Driving by the local high school a few weeks past, I thought the girls looked 35. I am convinced 35 year olds are registered as high school age for ADA. They look 35 with 3 kids.
I want to see photos sans faces or have a blind assessment done by a group of people. I wonder if her testimony exonerated anyone.
This culture is crude and criminal. I need a vacation.
Thanks, PT.
OT
THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS BEGINS FROM THE DATE OF THE LAST OVERT ACT IN FURTHERANCE OF THE CONSPIRACY
18 U.S. Code § 371 – Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States
If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The statute of limitations for 18 U.S.C. § 371, which defines conspiracy to commit an offense or to defraud the United States, is 5 years. This is the general rule for most non-capital federal offenses, according to the Department of Justice. The statute of limitations begins running from the date of the last overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, according to the Department of Justice.
“In any manner or for any purpose.”
Thank you JT for your continued obfuscation. Meanwhile…
In a 2002 interview, Trump praised Epstein for his taste in women. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” he told New York magazine.
Is president trump a pedophile?
2002… who cares.
Noticed you failed to show this (New York magazine)
Hahahahahaha, did you come up with this yourself, loser? Enjoy your nickel per comment you pathetic specimen.
Did you learn to talk this way from your “christian” teachings.
If you don’t believe that trump was best buds with Epstein, you are hopeless. trump has been found liable for sexual abuse, he was quoted how me loves to grab pussy, and you doubt he was best buds with a pedophile and may be a pedophile himself? Sad, you are really sad.
Hahahahahahahaha, another good one!! Do you copy and paste this from the some crap place? Please don’t tell me that you actually write this yourself. You’re such a pathetic loser, look at yourself.
Yep, “christian” values. Thank you for showing us your stripes.
Hahahahahaha, you’re amazing! You really nailed me in one try! Is this a script that you got from somewhere? I hope so, for your sake, because it’s so freaking stupid, I’d hate to think that you actually wasted your own time coming with this!!!! Keep trying to shame someone who isn’t a Christian!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!! You really are a loser!!
Do you have evidence that Trump was “best Buds” with Epstein ?
Did he have frequent flyer miles on the lolita express like Clinton ?
Did he stay at Epstein’s mansion like Prince Andrew ?
What do you have to establish that Epstein and Trump had any consequential relationship ?
Don’t waste your time with this one, it doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to reply in any meaningful fashion. Just point and laugh at the attempted obfuscation.
John Say, Trump was buddies with Epstein for a decade. Both were womanizers and perverts. Both shared flights on each others private planes.
“ Do you have evidence that Trump was “best Buds” with Epstein ?”
Its all over the news. That’s why the Epstein scandal is still around. Photos, video and apparently birthday cards too.
Still lying George? Where’s the non-existent Maxwell testimony? It’s hard to take anything you say seriously when you lie so brazenly.
“. . . Trump was buddies with Epstein for a decade.”
And yet it was Trump’s FBI that investigated and arrested Epstein. And it was Trump’s DOJ that indicted Epstein (2109).
Why does the Left always omit those facts?
(A rhetorical question)
It’s not an omission, George is just a liar, simple fact.
Epstein was “Best Buds” with most of the NY elite. Trump falls into that category, having said, once Epstein was exposed for the pedophile he was, Trump kicked him to the curb. Clinton’s and Prince Sweaty not so much. No crime for real men to like good looking ladies that want to spend your money while they let you grab their muffins. It’s the American way!
Why would he be a pedophile? You think liking young WOMEN makes men pedophiles? lol. That’s says more about you than it does Trump…
Pedophiles are leftists, leftists are pedophiles. It’s what they know.
Uninformed ideological bs. Sexual deviant predators have no correlation to race, income, or political preference…only gender. And, there is a correlation to being sexually abused as a child.
It’s just a coincidence that all of these pedophiles just happen to be leftists. Right.
Trump is a serial pervert. He considered dating his daughter an option. Even in the south, that’s too far.
Hahahaha that’s real deep man. You think that one up by yourself? It shows, you total loser!!!
ATS is this all you are left with ?
Some hope that Trump can be consequentially tied to Epstein ?
Do you have any evidence that Trump is a pedophile ?
Like video of him sniffing little girls and boys hair, or diary entries that he likes to shower with his daughter ?
You’re wasting your time, this is the new troll tactic, throw out any lie, the bigger the better, and make us refute it. It’s better to just point and laugh.
He is tied to Epstein. I’m willing to bet more incriminating evidence is in the Epstein files. That’s why he’s so determined not to release them.
Hahahahaha yeah keep going with that you loser. Did the Easter Bunny tell you that? Damn you are so pathetic.
President Trump?
Is there some associative property of pedophilia?
If so, this was when Bill Clinton was flying around Africa with Epstein aboard the “Lolita Express.” We know Bill liked women “on the younger side,” because he had been “dating” the succulent Monica — a woman less than half his age — under the Resolute desk.
Far more evidence against Bill.
“Far more evidence against Bill.”
And zero for Trump. Don’t cede an inch to this loser.
That’s why we need to see the entirety of the Epstein files. We already know Trump is mentioned multiple times. We also know Trump is a serial pervert.
Hahahaha you still at it? Maybe if you say Epstein three times he’ll appear. Hey, why aren’t you calling Trump a child rapist today?
You really should consider being less of a joke. Try not posting anymore, see if that helps. I loved your pathetic attempt at Christian shaming though!!!!
It seems preposterous to me that after 236 years we still haven’t grasped the essence of Federalist #51.
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
“If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”
Our constitutional system and the laws within it exists as a bulwark against government tyranny over the People. But it (our system and laws) still hasn’t built a defense for it’s own existence. That system may not be a living and breathing thing, but it can effectively be killed. By defining Treason and Seditious Conspiracy so narrowly, it leaves malevolent actors a wide berth to operate.
I do vulnerability assessments for Houses of Worship and we approach these assessments from the bad actors POV. We “think” of ways harm can be done and then assist them in creating the most effective way to prevent that harm from happening. That same approach needs to be done for our constitutional system. When it comes to that system, FAFO should never have a statute of limitations. Hoping that Obstruction of Official Proceedings or a Seditious Conspiracy can be “caught” within a 5 year window is asinine. We need to get White Hats working on these vulnerabilities and laws need to change make FAFO a true deterrent.
*. True, Olly, presumably that’s what’s going on. There are many vulnerabilities.
Far too many that are knowable. If you think about it, the laws that exist today define ways to prosecute crimes, but they also define ways to avoid prosecution. I understand the law is supposed to protect individual rights, but when it comes to crimes that do actual harm to our system of government, somehow that harm should come with severe consequences and without a statute of limitations.
*. Perhaps that idea is embodied in treason, high crimes and misdemeanors, Olly. It’s quite twisted now.
Obviously, a governing system that values constructive dissent cannot allow seditious conspiracy to be defined by one of the antagonists in a political battle (the more powerful one) . It must be narrowly defined, and objectively adjudicated on a factual basis (by a jury of average Americans).
What’s truly alarming is how post-internet, unmoderated infowarfare can be waged across borders, with the unvarnished intent to destroy an entire nation. The Russians are pros, as are the Chinese. Psychological ops directed at children are vile and repugnant — yet our system has been lethargic and impotent in blocking nefarious foreign influence of that flavor.
The idea that wars can be waged and won in the infospace — no uniformed soldiers needed — just skilled infowarriors — is frightening. The U.S. is being attacked every day, and still cannot figure out what is wrong with the borderless internet design that 99.99% of these foreign attacks go unchallenged, uninvestigated and unpunished.
*. Yes, anon. What is the single most destructive force? The single most destructive force is a lie.
Anyone tell George that? Why bother, he just can’t stop lying anyway.